The people we hire for our business become our goodwill ambassadors. We, as owners, are sometimes predisposed, and the people we employee represent the image of our business, the brand we are developing, and the standards our business is based on.
As business people, we need to protect ourselves and incorporate security measures regardless who we hire. We will be able to track any theft in money or merchandise. That’s just good business!!
The snag might be that we can’t always check all the time if our customers are being served properly, or standards are being kept in place during our absence. Just think how nice it would be at times to have exceptional people watching the shop, making money for us, while we are having some enjoyable time away. This means we should not ignore our business every day; by owning a business, at times we take advantage of that freedom. So, by hiring exceptional people with the right work ethic, we might reduce some of what we might refer to as the slack factor.
How do we choose the right person?
Do we pick someone because we like him or her? They’re funny, and, even though they only have a few of the desired characteristics, we probably could be great friends.
Let’s keep in mind this is a working relationship. Clearly defined, we are employers and therefore must keep personal feeling out, and criteria in. This should not mean we do not care about and like the people who work for us.
In a business forum their confidence will come from us, a good, fair, and firm employer that they can trust to do what we promise. To accomplish this, it is vital to pick our employees based on the characteristics we have put in place for exceptional people.
We need to review their resume, look again how they answered the interview questions, and how they would fit in with our other employees. Remember, everyone has a unique and different personality. By putting criteria in place, we can choose our employees fairly and without prejudice. It is important to remember that if someone should not meet our criteria we must let them down gently and with respect. The same applies when firing. Besides, these people could even become loyal customers in the future.
Hire right, or manage hard!!!
Arnold Nadler is a long-time entrepreneur and founder of The Startup Business Doctor, a private company specializing in helping new and small businesses get their company off the ground. Programs include professional coaching, franchise opportunities and inexpensive advertising packages. You can get more information at StartUpBusinessDoctor.com Feel free to send me your comments on this article.